Sanchez vs Mkhi - Final Table

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I think it's a good idea to monitor how well they are doing compared to eachother.

Rules
-The rules are there are no rules
-Another rule is that I will be doing a league system for Premier League games, and a Cup system for the indeterminant number of cup games they play
-Scores are determined arbitarily depending on how I feel that day
-In the event of an injury, play continues.

League
-3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for defeat
-In the event of a tie on points, the factors user to determine a winner are (in order):
Games won
Goals scored
How I feel

Sanchitaryan Cup
-Each player scores depending on their performances in Cup games
-The winner will be the player who has scored more goals when both teams are knocked out of their cups or at the end of the season.

Diary
GW1:
In gameweek 1 (since arriving), both players featured in disappointing displays for their respective clubs, but Alexis played the whole game and made no impact in a 2-0 defeat to Spurs, whereas Mkhitaryan only played half an hour in a surprisingly and embarrassing defeat to bottom of the league Swansea. I know Snachez played against Yeovil, but he didn't really do anything there so I'm not counting it.

I'm calling that a 0-0 draw.

GW2:
In gameweek 2, Sanchez gets his first goal, tapping in after winning(?) and missing a penalty in a 2-0 win. Not sure how much of an impact he had there. Meanwhile Henrikh nabbed himself 3 assists in a decisive victory against a rather crap looking Everton.

I haven't seen the highlights yet, so it's subject to change but I'm calling this a narrow 2-1 win for Mkhitaryan.

GW3:
Mkhitaryan plays particularly poorly at Wembley, only lasting about an hour before being replaced. Arsenal lose 1-0, uninspiring display by Mkhitaryan so should be open for Sanchez to steal the points. Well, it didn't go as planned. He was one of their better attackers, but Man Utd also disappointed against Newcastle. Sanchez had the best chance of the game, but was stopped by a combination of his own indecision, Yedlin's acrobatic tackling and Lejeune's defensive foresight.

This one's a 0-0.

GW4:
Both faced strong opposition this week. Sanchez and Man Utd came back from 1-0 down to beat Chelsea 2-1. Sanchez didn't play especially well overall but did have some good contributions, most notably in the equalizing goal.
No goals to speak of for Mkhitaryan as Arsenal continued to disappoint their fans. He did win a penalty, but it wasn't converted. If he had been able to contribute any more than a speculative shot or two he might have been worthy of a goal.

It's a 1-0 win for Sanchez this week.

GW5 (cleared of match fixing allegations):
This is getting pathetic. Mkhitaryan contributes little more than a couple of hints that he wants to score or create a goal in Arsenal's shock defeat to Brighton. Sanchez barely gets involved in a 5 goal thriller as Man Utd took a trip to Selhurst Park. I think he hit the crossbar before one of the goals, but I don't remember seeing him do much apart from that.

0-0, thinking of turning this into a relegation battle instead.

GW6:
It was a close one this week. Both had periods where they disappeared from the game, but both showed some good instances of what they can do.
While the two goals bypassed him somewhat, Sanchez did play a great ball in for Mata's overhead kick attempt. If he took all the time he had available I am sure it would have been a goal. In the second half, Man Utd defended with good organisation and Sanchez became used as an outlet to take the pressure off. The home side failed to have a shot in the second half until the dying minutes when the game became stretched, but Sanchez did put in one more good cross which could have sewn the game up.

Mkhitaryan didn't have much impact on the first half, but was crucial in the second half. Arsenal looked far more relaxed than they have in recent league games as they beat Watford quite handily. They were already 1-0 when Mkhitaryan's first big contribution was made. On the counter, he played in a brilliantly timed ball for Aubameyang to finish. At 2-0, Watford began to push and failed to convert a penalty, soon after Mkhitaryan should have won a penalty for Arsenal but the referee wasn't paying attention. He was also able to get himself on the score sheet to wrap the game up before making way for the substitution.

I'm giving this as a 2-1 win to Mkhitaryan.

GW7:
Sanchez looked better yesterday. Swansea weren't able to put up much of a fight, but he made an assist for Lukaku and scored the second himself when he broke the offside trap. Aside from that it looked like a quiet game in the highlights, but possibly the first signs of Sanchez settling in a bit more.
Mkhitaryan fans will be bemoaning the selection of Arsene Wenger as Mkhitaryan gets only 15 minutes to show what he can do. Arsenal struggled to put a dangerous attack together until scoring a fortunate penalty previous to the Armenian's inclusion. Arsenal certainly improved after the first goal and his introduction, but it's not enough for him to peg back Sanchez's lead.

It's a 2-0 win for Sanchez.

GW8:
It was quite a game of two halves for Alexis Sanchez yesterday evening. In the first half, he lost the ball time and time again as City went on to romp Man Utd 2-0 before half time. It was a party atmosphere in the City of Manchester Stadium as Man City enjoyed the inevitable stroll to becoming Champions. They enjoyed it so much that they let Man Utd come back into the game as Pogba bundled the ball over the line. Not to worry, this wasn't going to stop the boys in blue enjoying their big day.

OR
SO
WE
THOUGHT

Sanchez pops up with two assists and Man Utd win the game, changing the entire landscape of the Premier League season. And now against all odds, it looks as thought Man City will win the league and Man Utd will finish in the top four. The first was a stunning ball by Sanchez as Pogba made the kind of run into the box that Mourinho loathes. The second was a perfectly weighted delivery from a free kick which found Smalling in lots of space for the winner.

So with that settled, all eyes on Mkhitaryan to see what he can do.

Not in the squad.

Sanchez 2- 0 Mkhitaryan

GW9:
We awake on a sunny(?) day in Manchester with Mkhitaryan out of action, we are ready for a walkover this week. But hello, what's this?

West Brom win 1-0? No home goals for Man Utd against the bottom placed team. Huge disappointment. I didn't see the game, but Mourinho said something about "too many touches", which I am presuming is something to do with Sanchez.

Sanchez 0 - 0 Mkhitaryan

GW10:

Neither player features.

Sanchez 0 - 0 Mkhitaryan

GW11:
The two names finally face off at the Theatre of Dreams as Arsenal visit Man Utd. A slightly weaker Arsenal side takes to the field, as they prepare for a tricky midweek trip to Madrid. I speak for us all when I say, I believe this rest will be the difference Arsenal need to do Blighty proud, beat the forrins and be in the final!

Stunning scenes on the pitch see a foul in the middle of the park go unpunished, allowing Pogba to stride forward, play it wide and await the cross. The ball goes to the back post, for Sanchez to head it against the post. Pogba taps in the rebound.

The tie goes back and forth, before Mkhitaryan scores a daisy-cutting equaliser from distance. He holds his hand up, very respectful. He is replaced shortly after, but didn't have much of an impact aside from the goal (from distant memory).

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GW12:
Man Utd travel down to the south coast to face seagull enthusiasts, Brighton and Hove Albion. It'll be a tough occasion for the expensively assembled boys in red, as Brighton and Hove will be looking to secure survival if they somehow overcome the frankly obscene disparity in their respective budgets.

For Arsenal, this is the first chance Mkhitaryan and the boys had to properly show their appreciation for a great manager. Dyche and his rabble from Burnley visit The Emirates.

Wow, Brighton and Hove somehow manage to beat emerge victorious from their Friday night scrap. Sanchez doesn't feature at all, possibly related? Mkhitaryan will be licking his lips at the chance to make a difference as Arsenal face off the next day.

Doing well to avoid nasty chapped lips, Mkhitaryan plays and Arsenal handily see off their 6th place rivals winning 5-0. Mkhitaryan plays very well in midfield, but doesn't really manage to be directly involved in any goals, often seen stood behind Lacazette and Aubameyang as they finish off a cross.

Sanchez 0 - 1 Mkhitaryan

GW13:
Man Utd look to add to the problems at London Stadium, visiting London Ham (I think their owners want them to be called). In the opposite dugout to Sanchez when he is inevitably substituted by clean sheet obsessive Mourinho, is David Moyes who has never managed him. But he did manage Man Utd, and is still enjoying the rewards of the lengthy contract he accepted with them 7 years ago. He is not enjoying the reputation he was left with, which clutches to him like manure to a tractor. In my opinion, nobody should be ashamed to be connected to Man Utd.

Arsenal visit champions turned snakes turned nice turned racist turned nice turned midtable Leicester City. You might know that until now, Arsenal have failed to earn a point away from home for all of 2018. But off the back of last weeks results, their unwanted record could be in danger.

The country breathes a collective sigh of relief as Mavropanos (I don't know either) gets sent off early on and Arsenal go 1-0 down. But the tie wasn't dead, Mkhitaryan watched on once again as Aubameyang gets on the end of a cross. He hits the post, but who should be there for the rebound? Mkhitaryan, who watches on again as Aubameyang scores the rebound. Arsenal proceed to lose 3-1.

A night later, and London Stadium is the stage. Big and glamorous, but let down by its suitability to football, Man Utd face West Ham. It's a drab 0-0, and Moyes was later heard commenting that it was "hardly worth talking about".

Sanchez 0 - 0 Mkhitaryan

GW14:
Those of you with a calculator will know that we are on equal points heading into the final day of the season. You know how much each player wants to win this, so it's no surprise to see both feature on the final day, even though Man Utd have a cup final to look forward to.

All games kick off at the same time for maximum tension. Each game had an end of school feel to it, and across the Premier League it was very much defenders' day off. This was most apparent at Old Trafford as a simple route one pass is enough to shock and confuse the Watford defence, leaving Mata and Rashford through on goal. Sanchez watches on as the ball is slotted away, this could have been his moment.

Minutes late in Huddersfield, Mkhitaryan is the meat in a Great Move Sandwich as Arsenal go 1-0 up, dreaming of getting their first away points of the year on the board.

The last bit of action of the season involves neither of these palyers as Ospina makes a wonderful save preventing a Huddersfield equaliser. It did indeed prove to be Sanchez's last chance.

Clarification: I noticed updating the table that I'd input some number incorrectly in GW3. I had incorrectly written that Mkhitaryan had lost 1 game too many, and had scored 1 goal too many.
This was only in the public version of the table, and the private version was always correct.

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Fans of the rivalry will be expecting a Sanchez victory this week as both teams travel for their games. Manchester United face Newcastle United at St James' Park while Arsenal face the tougher trip to Wembley for Tottenham Hostpur. It's expected that Sanchez will be able to make a bigger contribution on the pitch against poor opposition, but it does mean that Mkhitaryan qualifies for a DERBYDAYBONUS!!!!!!

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GW3:
Mkhitaryan plays particularly poorly at Wembley, only lasting about an hour before being replaced. Arsenal lose 1-0, uninspiring display by Mkhitaryan so should be open for Sanchez to steal the points. Well, it didn't go as planned. He was one of their better attackers, but Man Utd also disappointed against Newcastle. Sanchez had the best chance of the game, but was stopped by a combination of his own indecision, Yedlin's acrobatic tackling and Lejeune's defensive foresight.

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This is a long gameweek because Arsenal are messing around in the League Cup this weekend. Sanchez faces an unpredictable Chelsea side at Old Trafford. He hasn't acheived an awful lot of note just yet in a restrictive Mourinho system, and I don't personally see that changing on Sunday. Shortly after this one concludes, Mkhitaryan and Arsenal play Man City at Wembley to compete for the second worst trophy available to Premier League clubs. It is a dress rehearsal for the game between the same two clubs which will be played across the road on Thursday night. Man City are reeling from a defeat to Wigan, but should be feeling strong again by Thursday after beating Arsenal.

Arsenal's game will however contribute to the coveted Sanchitaryan Cup, which I've decided is basically scored at my discretion based on how well they perform in non-league competitions (don't worry, it's still very much 0-0).

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GW4:
Both faced strong opposition this week. Sanchez and Man Utd came back from 1-0 down to beat Chelsea 2-1. Sanchez didn't play especially well overall but did have some good contributions, most notably in the equalizing goal.
No goals to speak of for Mkhitaryan as Arsenal continued to disappoint their fans. He did win a penalty, but it wasn't converted. If he had been able to contribute any more than a speculative shot or two he might have been worthy of a goal.

It's a 1-0 win for Sanchez this week.

Amazingly this puts them on level terms in all areas. Mkhitaryan is in first position on only alphabetical order.

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In theory, this could be an opportunity for both to get some potentially crucial goal difference advantage. Arsenal and Man Utd will be journeying south both in terms of the league table and geography (hahaha). Arsenal go to the south coast hoping to slay some Seagulls, and Man Utd head to the big city to face Crystal Palace.

Arsenal are particularly poor away from home, and are in poor form. Mkhitaryan specifically has struggled to make a big impact, but has shown flashes of quality. Sanchez hasn't managed to have a good complete 90 minutes, but is this teething issues or a restrictive role under a boring manager?

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GW5:
This is getting pathetic. Mkhitaryan contributes little more than a couple of hints that he wants to score or create a goal in Arsenal's shock defeat to Brighton. Sanchez barely gets involved in a 5 goal thriller as Man Utd took a trip to Selhurst Park. I think he hit the crossbar before one of the goals, but I don't remember seeing him do much apart from that.

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GW5:
This is getting pathetic. Mkhitaryan contributes little more than a couple of hints that he wants to score or create a goal in Arsenal's shock defeat to Brighton. Sanchez barely gets involved in a 5 goal thriller as Man Utd took a trip to Selhurst Park. I think he hit the crossbar before one of the goals, but I don't remember seeing him do much apart from that.

Listen, sometimes a team will outperform another without winning the game and Sanchez did slightly out-perform Mkhitaryan but not significantly. However, I take accusations of match fixing very seriously, so I have published my notes from the goal highlights of this game:

1-0 - No fault and no culpability for Townsend's goal (Neutral)
2-0 - Switches off for the quick free-kick that leads to Patty V's goal (Marginal Negative)
2-1 - Encouraging clapping before the corner that leads to Smalling's header (Marginal Positive)
2-2 - Edge of the area shot blocked, loops onto the crossbar (Weak Positive)
2-3 - Makes a good pass to Mata and it leads to a tame blocked shot by Pogba (Marginal Positive)

No significant value added to the Man Utd performance. No goals!

As an addendum, had Pogba scored or passed to Matic for the finish, Sanchez likely would have won this game. Perhaps it is unfair that he be punished for Pogba's brand-building selfishness. However I'm sure you will agree that when it comes to the squad around them, Mkhitaryan is at a disadvantage.

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Sanchitaryan Cup:
First goal for Mkhitaryan and a good performance gives him the 1-0 lead in the Cup.

GW6 Preview

Man Utd play Liverpool in what used to be one of the biggest games on the calender. Recently, it has been a rather dry affair and with Mourinho's propensity for being cautious in games against top teams it may not favour attackers. With Liverpool breathing down their neck, Man Utd are deprived of the luxury of being able to rest players even with a crucial Champion's League game on Tuesday.
Mourinho has this week sprinkled some of his man-management dust upon Alexis, so if his work with Luke Shaw is anything to by, Sanchez will arrived at Old Trafford today looking several stone overweight. Jose says he will be at his best next season. Likely in response to some criticism he has received recently regarding his possession management, but he plays a high risk game so it's only a matter of time before his efforts get rewarded.

Arsenal have an extra day's rest after their Thursday trip to Milan. Arsenal shocked the world by looking competent, and will put their feet up awaiting the visit of their new Stoke, Watford. Mkhitaryan will hope they can maintain their midweek form tomorrow, and continue to play well for the remaining of his campaign. If he is going to beat Sanchez, he will need some support from his teammates.
The question is whether or not Arsenal will Arsenal their way through the rest of the season, or will they Arsenal their way for the rest of the season instead?

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Man Utd play Liverpool in what used to be one of the biggest games on the calender. Recently, it has been a rather dry affair and with Mourinho's propensity for being cautious in games against top teams it may not favour attackers.